Fire-escape



(No Model.)

A. L. ALDRICH.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Fig.5.

N. PETERS. Phnm-Limogn her, Washington. D. C.

p UNITED STATES ABBOTT L. ALDRICH, OFBOSTON,

MASSACHUSETTS.

Fl RE- ESCAPE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,651, dated May 29, 1883.

. i l Application fi ledFehruary 26,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABBOTT L. ALDRICH, a citizen of the United States, residing atjBoston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare that the same are fully described in the following specification and illustratedin the accompanying drawings. This invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes of that kind which are attached to the'outside of a building, andlit is carried out as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the fire-escape when in position for use, and Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of it in said position'. Fig. 3 represents a plan view of it when in use. Fig. 4 represents a front elevation of the improved fire-escape when folded up against the building when not required for use, and Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of it in said folded position. Fig. 6 represents a modification of the invention, showing it as located at the side of the windows instead of in front of the windows, as shown in the former figures. Similar letters refer to similar parts Whereever they occur on the different parts of the drawings. a

it represents the outer wall of a building to which my improved fire-escape is to be applied, and]; b b I) represent a vertical rowof win-' dows or openings through the wall a,as usual. Atc 0, just below each window, is hinged a platform, (I, which is preferably made of metal and perforated, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to windows importance.

obstruct as little as possible. the light tothe when said platforms d d dd are folded up to the position shown in Figs. 4 and5; but said platforms may be made solid if the obstruction. to the light of the Windows is not of The outer end of each platform d is hinged at a e to the sides of an ordinary ladder, f, made of wood or metal,as may be required, and at the junction ofthe said ladder and the platforms at at each ofthe latter is provided with a cut-away portion, d, to'e nable the occupants of a' burning building to walk from the windows where the down on the inside. of the ladder f when in working position, as shown in derf is preferably latter may be arranged to fire-escape 1 is located ontothe platforms d d, and through the opening d The lower end of the lad provided with suitable rubher or other elastic hunters, f f, adapted to rest on the sidewalk or street in front of the building, the object of such elastic buutersbeiugtopreventa too great shock on the end of theladder when swung suddenly to a working position. Near the upper end of the ladder f is attached a chain or rope, g, which is guided over suitable pulleys, gg, in the upper part of the wall a, lower'en d. a suitable Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

balance-weight, g,which work on the inside or outside of the building, as may be most convenient. The object of saidweight g is to counterbalance in part or in' whole the lad derf and its they may be raised and lowered with ease.

his ahook-lever or similar locking device hinged to the bracket h, which is secured to the wall a, and has attached to its inner end a pendent chain or rope, h, which may extend "far enough downward to enable its being reached from the ground,if necessary. The hook-lever it serves to hook or lock on one of the roundsf" of the ladder, so as to retain the latter in its normal position when not in use, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5.

and has attached to its hinged platforms at d d d, so that- To prevent the occupants of burning buildings from falling oif'from the platforms at d when escaping thereon, I provide each of such platforms with sides or railings 1; 7;, which are hinged in their lower parts to the respective platforms at 'i i, as'shown. Such hinged sides orrailings may be made of'wood ormetal,solid or perforated, to make them lighter, as may be desired. The sides or flush or flat against the outside of the building when the fire-escape is not used and be held at right angles to the platform when in railings i iare hinged to the platforms d, so that they may be swung use. For the purpose of automatically rais- 1 ing said sides or railingsiiand to retain them in such uprightposition when in use I attach to the inner ends of such hinged sidesi ichains or ropes k, the upper ends of which are suitably fastened at'ik It to the wall a or suitable brackets or equivalent device thereon in such a manner that said chains k It will be drawn taut when the .ladder and its platforms and sides are swung outward, and in this manner cause the sides or railings i i to be automati- IOO 2 eraser cally raised when the ladder is swung outward. As the ladder is swung back toward the building the weight of the sides '59; will or railings close up to the wall of the building when the fire-escape is not in use.

If it should beinconvenient to locate the fireescape in front of a row of windows, as hereinabove described, it may be located at one side of a row of windows, as shown in Fig. 6, and to secure below the sill of each window a suitable platform, I, with or without railings, from which the occupants might easily reach the platforms at cl (1 d and the ladder)".

, In case of a fire it is only necessary to disengage the lock it from the ladder, which is done by pulling downward on the chain or rope h", and this may be done from any window in the row or from the ground, if so desired, and to swing the ladder with its hinged platforms and sides outward until the lower end of the ladder rests on the ground, when the occupants ot' the burning building are immediately enabled to escape by going out of any window in the row, then onto either of the platforms 1 d d and through the openings d 11' down on the ladder f. In a like manner firemen and others may get access to the building by going up the ladder and onto either of the platforms leading to any desired window in the row.

The great advantage of this my improved fire-escape is that it is always ready for use at an instants notice, that it can be reached from any story in the building, and that it enables the occupants to get out of the reach of the flames and smoke from a lower window by going out to the ladder, which is located far enough-say about eight or ten feet-from the building, by which all danger from smoke and fire from below is entirely avoided, and the occupant may reach the ground in safety.

What I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim is- 1. In a fire-escape, the ladderf, hinged platforms at d d, hinged to the wall a, in combination with the hinged sides or railings i 'i, and automatic device for. their operation, as herein set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the ladder f, swinging platforms at d, with their hinged sides 11 43 and chains 70 7c, the balance-weight g", chain g and locking and releasing device h h h, all combined and arranged substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBAN ANDR'EN, HENRY GHADBoURN. 

